Assange: Obama 'embarrassing'

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sharply criticized President Barack Obama’s proposed surveillance reforms Friday, calling them “small” and saying it is “embarrassing for a head of state to go on like that for 45 minutes and say almost nothing.”

“Although those national whistle-blowers have forced this debate, this president has been dragged, kicking and screaming to today’s address. He is being very reluctant to make any concrete reforms,” Assange told CNN. “And unfortunately, today we also see very few concrete reforms.”

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During the interview, Assange homed in on the U.S Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which oversees surveillance warrants and came under heightened public scrutiny following leaks last year by National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden.

“The big problem with the FISA court is the creation of secret judge-made law that is capable of reinterpreting anything that Congress passes in order to make it acceptable for the NSA to engage in bulk collection activity,” Assange said.

Obama on Friday said the administration would be instating a “public advocate” position on the FISA court, a reform over which Assange also expressed skepticism.

“A public advocate constantly in the FISA Court in a secret manner is unlikely to produce a decent result. That said, of course, it is a small advance,” he said. “We have to see whether being implemented, who would be this public advocate.”

Assange also defended National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, saying that the reforms proposed by the administration would not have come about without his actions.

“It’s clear that the president would not be speaking today were it not for the actions of Edward Snowden,” Assange told CNN.